Creative friction is emotionally difficult, but it’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s an indispensable part of the creative process.

If you are dealing with creative friction and feel stuck, don’t just give yourself time—give yourself grace.

Whether what you have created recently is a personal favorite, or something you think is only okay, don’t forget this:

You have created something, and that in itself is beautiful. It came from within, and thus speaks to something about yourself. Accepting that your creative work is not born perfect is the same as accepting that you have made, and will make mistakes. Instead of focusing on the imperfections, we should instead focus on the steps we have taken to make progress, to become better. Our art, like ourselves, is a lifelong story of setbacks and strides. What matters is continuing to create.

The knowledge that friction is a necessary part of the creative process makes it easier, and, in the end, results in better work.

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Poetry Culture explores ways to live a more creative and meaningful life.

Whatever the reason for our creative block, rekindling a sense of creative fun in our artistic lives is one solution. Here are four ways that we can reignite that sense of fun in our writing and art.

Lower expectations, not standards

Lowering expectations is painful when we have high standards. But lowering expectations is not about reducing the quality of our work. It is about giving a nascent idea permission to exist and the chance to grow.

Do it for itself

The corollary to embracing silliness is the idea of doing something for its own sake. Being silly is about rejecting judgment, but doing something for its own sake is about avoiding the lure of profit, or praise, or all sorts of other things which can blow our ship off course. It’s about creating work that you believe in so much that you would do for free.

Imbue your work with personal meaning

Making our work personal can help us continue to create, regardless whether we are being paid for our work or not.

Imbuing our work with personal meaning allows us to look back on what we’ve created with nostalgia, as well as pride. Linking our work to a personal story or struggle isn’t just a good way of coming up with ideas. It’s also a way of ensuring our work has meaning for ourselves and our friends.

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As artists, our attention is a core part of our creativity. Preserving it is part of doing great work.

The messages we hear, the art we consume, the things we think about ourselves all affect how we go through life. Those feelings translate into what we can give back to others with our creative output.

Although art can be beautiful, and sometimes it does come easily, creating it can be a process which is not fun or easy. Inspiration is important, but sometimes we just have to do the work. Preserving our attention gives us the maximum ability to do great work.

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